Laconian Taenarum
by deus ex machina89
Summary: Love is not blind, it sees more, not less. But because it sees more, it is willing to see less. Pairings: Ron and Harry, Snarry [Slash]
1. Chapter 1

**_Author's Note_**_: This is my first time writing a fanfic of my own. (Well, more like my first time posting one.) I am not an avid writer nor a good one. But I hope writing fanfics will improve my writing skills. When you read this you'll probably see tons of grammar mistakes, spelling, and simple vocabulary. (I don't use big words that often.) So, I hope you enjoy my first chapter :D_

_Oh and one more thing. The lines in quotations that are in italics shows his/her thoughts, and the ones that aren't in italics are things he/she is saying out loud or when they are having a conversation. _

**_Disclaimer: _**_Seriously, if I really did own Harry Potter, Hogwarts would've been nothing but slash._

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**Chapter 1**

"Ron! Ronnnn!" Harry quickly bolted through some bushes as he chased after Ron. He jumped over a boulder and ducked under the branches from the trees as he ran through the maze. They were in a forest and the moonlight cast a shadow across them as they ran. "Ron where the fuck are you going!"

Ron kept on running and he was getting further away. Harry couldn't keep up and he stopped. Gasping for air, Harry supported himself against a tree. Sweat beaded across his forehead and his chest was heaving up and down. "Where are you going Ron…"

Harry looked around. The forest was dark, damp and humid. He stood back up and looked around. It was quiet. Really quiet. There was no wind, no birds chirping… nothing. The silence was scaring him and he began walking. Brushing off some branches and leaves, he suddenly came upon a wall. _"Is this a building…where the hell am I!" _The wall was covered with vines and moss. It was too dark for Harry to see what the structure really was.

He touched the wall and ripped the vines off of it. Suddenly he felt a knob. Thinking there was a door; he turned it counterclockwise and saw glowing letters appear before him:

_Laconian Taenarum_

"What the…" Suddenly the ground shook. Dirt, debris, and leaves were falling everywhere and Harry quickly covered his face with his coat. The wall was moving. The ground shook even harder and Harry fell onto his back. When it was over, he quickly uncovered his face and saw that the wall had moved back. In front of him was a dark hole. The hole was rectangular…seems like someone made it? Harry pushed himself up and walked closer to it. It wasn't just a hole. It was a stairwell leading underground.

Harry, being the brave and bold person he is, stepped down onto the stairs. As he continues climbing down, he couldn't see where he was going and was having difficulty. Being careful not to trip, he slowly and carefully descended into the darkness.

The darkness engulfed his body and his vision. His breath became ragged and his head was throbbing. He felt like air was escaping from him and his chest became tight. He felt claustrophobic. He used the wall to guide himself down the stairs. When he finally reaches the bottom, two torches were seen lit in a distance. He walked toward them.

Relieved to see some light, he could recognize where he was. He was in a cave and in front of him was a river leading into a tunnel. A boat sat onto the bank of the river near where the torches were. Harry went closer to the boat and read out the name carved onto its side. _Charon._ _"I wonder if this boat belonged to someone. If it did then someone could be here. But, it seems like no one has been using it for a while." _

The boat was small and old and made out of wood. A paddle laid in the middle of the boat. Harry felt a strange force compelling him to take the boat and see where the tunnel leads.

"_But, what about Ron? Shouldn't I be looking for him? It's too late now. He probably ran far away… god knows where. I can't search for him now, it's too dark outside."_ Making his decision, he hopped onto the boat and grabbed the paddle. Steadying himself, he slowly pushed the boat away from the bank and turned it toward the tunnel. He carefully brought himself into the dark and strange tunnel.

Eerie sounds echoed off the wall as he made his way through the tunnel. It was dark and damp; it made him even more claustrophobic. The sound of water rushing along him made his muscles tense. "Oh God, I hope there are no rapids." Harry remembered his trip with the Dursleys. They went canoeing and well, Harry couldn't steer for his life. His canoe apparently flipped over and he fell into the water. His life jacket didn't work and he almost drowned. He had to cling onto a rock until rescuers saved him. It was humiliating and the Dursleys laughed at him. _"Like they cared about me…" _

Harry's thoughts were then interrupted when he reached the end of the tunnel. It was another cave. This time the cave was smaller and a statue stood in the middle. Moonlight poured through the large hole in the ceiling illuminating the statue. Harry quickly jumped off the boat and examined it. The statue was as tall as Harry and it seemed to be made out of marble. It was a man blindfolded and he had large majestic wings on his back. The man carried a bow and he stood on top of a pedestal.

Below him was a short poem:

_The blind man had struck your friend, _

_Leaving his wound open and fresh, _

_His pain will end,_

_When Lord Voldemort receives his flesh._

Harry stood there shocked. "Wait, what blind man? My friend? Is it Ron? Is he in danger! Is Voldemort going to kill him? Or worse …use his body! His pain…" Harry's mind was filled with questions. He read the poem over and over. The poem made no sense and Harry panicked. "What if Ron is in danger right now, I need to find him!"

He turned around and ran back to the boat. Suddenly he stopped running; his eyes shot opened wide and he quickly clutched his head. His head throbbed with pain. "W-What the fuck is going on here!" The pain worsened and Harry fell down onto his knees. His scar was burning and he felt like it was searing his forehead. His vision was getting blurry. Harry looked forward and saw a pair of legs in front of him. He looked up and saw that it was Ron. He was smiling and his face looked warm and happy. "R-Ron…" Harry said weakly. The moonlight was shining onto Ron. His eyes sparkled with a boyish grin and his flame colored hair looked radiant. He looked as if he was glowing. Harry's vision blacked out. "Harry…" Ron's voice sounded distant. Harry closed his eyes and collapsed onto the cold floor.

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**_More of Author's Note: _**_Well what do you think? Please give some constructive criticism! Oh and another thing...there are a lot of symbolisms and tons of different themes going on in this story. I won't explain them...not until I finish the story. Isn't curiousity tortuous?_


	2. Chapter 2

**_Author's Note: _**_Hey! Yes, this is the second installment of My Life...I mean...Laconian Taenarum! I hope I didn't confuse you guys or disgusted you with my crappy writing in Chapter 1 hehe... This chapter took me the whole day to write. It usually only takes me two hours to write a chapter, but with trying to clean my room, eat, sleep, and talking on the phone...well it took me a whole day lolz. So please enjoy!_

_Again, the lines in quotations that are in italic are his/her thoughts, while the lines with no italics are when he/she are talking._

_**Disclaimer: **I am too poor, too uncreative, and to lazy to be able to own or to create Harry Potter. So can someone explain to me the point of writing the disclaimer?_

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**Chapter 2**

"…Harryyyyy…HARRRYYYY!" The distant voice sounded louder and louder as Harry stirred. He opened his eyes and saw where he was. He was in the quidditch field and Madam Hooch and all of his teammates were surrounding him. He was lying on the grass and Harry wondered what had happened.

"Oh my fucking god! How the hell did you survive that fall!" yelled Fred Weasley. "You alright Harry?" George Weasley lent his hand to Harry and picked him up from the ground. He brushed himself off and saw Madam Hooch coming up to him. "You scared the living hell outta me young man! If you do something like that again, I'll permanently disqualify you from our next game! You better go to Madam Pomfrey and get yourself checked!"

"Uh…What happened?" Harry couldn't remember the last thing he was doing. _"And what's with the dream I had…"_ Fred slapped Harry behind the back roughly and laughed. "We were practicing quidditch and all of a sudden you fell off your broom! God that was a pretty long fall you had there!"

"I guess…I guess I fainted or something…" Harry rubbed his head. The pain was still there but more subtle. "Well you must have been out in the sun too long…now please go to Madam Pomfrey now!" Madam Hooch pushed Harry towards the door and led him to the nurse. They walked through the winding stairs and long hallways filled with paintings. A painting of a man in 17th century clothing was next to Madam Pomfrey's office and he looked drunk. He was walking wobbly and his speech was slurred. His hiccups echoed through out the hallway. She pushed him into her office. "Now sit down onto the chair, she will be right with you soon." Madam Hooch quickly walked away leaving Harry alone.

Harry sat in silence, with the occasional sound of hiccupping from outside. The office was small and plain. Shelves were lined up against the wall, filled with different sorts of potions and medicines. Her desk was next to the big shelf. The gigantic shelf had strange apparatuses that Harry never saw before. Harry walked to her desk and sat down onto the chair in front of it.

"_This is weird…how come I don't remember what I was doing…maybe I need to take care of myself more carefully. But then, how come I had a dream? Shit, I don't even remember what happened …was it even a dream…"_ Harry scanned his memory, trying hard to remember. _"Ugh…wait…I do remember something with …Ron? It was Ron…but…why was he there? There's got to be something wrong…"_ Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted when Madam Pomfrey walked in.

"I'm sorry; I had to attend to a student with a stomach virus. Oh god, I swear I will get sick if I see vomit again!" She took her seat behind the desk and sighed. "Kids these days, they can't take care of themselves! So Harry what's the problem?"

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Ron was in the Gryffindor common room. He was sitting on one of the couches and staring off in space, deep in his thoughts. He was alone. People were at lunch at the Great Hall and Ron didn't felt like eating. Right now, he was thinking about Harry. 

Harry and Ron had been friends for six years now. They both knew about their sexuality. Ron was the first person that Harry admitted to that he was gay. Harry was also the first person that Ron admitted to that he was bisexual. It was then that Ron finally knew who the real Harry Potter was. Harry had poured his feelings and his secrets to him. He even told him about his secret relationship with Snape. Ron was always there listening attentively to his problems, his worries, his fears, his anger, everything. It was also then that Ron realized his own feelings. He loves him.

His feelings were quiet and hidden though. He had known about his infatuation with Harry even before he really knew him. It wasn't until after that he finally figured out that his feelings were more than that. He had fallen in love with the Boy Who Lived, the boy that had saved him countless times…the boy that was his best friend.

But now, Ron felt lonely. Harry had broken up with Snape and he had been distancing himself from everyone and him. It wasn't the only problem. He had quidditch practice and he was worrying about exams. Lately Harry was bombarded with problems even Ron can't help him with. He was dealing with the war with Voldemort and the Order of the Phoenix was pressuring him to do things he didn't want to. Harry was to be cooped up indoors all the time, the members of the OOTP spying on him to make sure he's safe, and everywhere he went he had to watch his back. He had no privacy and no say in their decisions. Harry was also still dealing with Sirius's death. It was a burden no normal human could handle.

"_I wish I could talk to him again. Whenever I go near him now…it's just…I'm scared. Scared for him. Scared he'll explode. And most of all…I'm scared that I can't help him. I feel so useless…"_ Tears started streaming down his face. _"Wow, is this normal? Is this normal to cry for someone like this? I'm such a cry baby…"_ Ron wiped his tears onto his sleeve. Ron tucked in his legs and hugged his knees. He then thought back the days when he and Harry used to snuggle with each other, flirt with each other, even though they were just being friends they would touch each other's hands under the table during class. Now, he felt like Harry had drifted away from him. Whenever he would greet Harry, he would just grunt a "Hello." They didn't hug each other anymore and whenever he went near him to try to talk, they only ended up in silence. The feeling of emptiness washed over him. _"I miss you so much…"_

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Harry came out of the office wincing in pain. Harry had told Madam Pomfrey about his fall and she made him take off his clothes. He was covered with bruises all over his side, stomach, arms, and legs. She decided to use a "special" ointment to remove them. She was rubbing hard against his bruises and Harry was literally strapped to the chair by her spell to prevent him from running away. It was also embarrassing since he only had his boxer on and he was literally half naked. The ointment also burned his skin and it smelled rancid. He was almost in tears after she was done applying the remedy. Harry groaned as he walked back to the Gryffindor common room. _"I'm going to need a shower…"_

As he walked up the stairs, Harry started wondering about his incident. He felt fine today. He wasn't sick or anything. What really happened? Did he just blacked out for no reason? _"Wow I have so much to worry about and now this! Why me! Do I have leukemia? Actually it wouldn't be so bad having leukemia. At least I would die and get away from this hell hole!"_ Harry was getting angry and he quickened his pace.

He finally reached the painting of the Fat Lady. "Acerbus dies diei," said Harry. The Fat Lady sniffed and the look of disgust appeared on her face. She grabbed a piece of cloth and covered her nose. "Oh Harry Potter when was the last time you showered!" Harry rolled his eyes. "Could you please let me in now!" The portrait swung open and the Fat Lady started mumbling about men not having good hygiene. Harry crawled through the hole and found Ron sitting on the couch. He was hugging his legs and he had his head resting against his knees.

A worried expression appeared on his face and he walked over to Ron. "Hey…what's up? Are you okay?" Harry said softly. He sat next to Ron and placed his hand on Ron's back. He carefully caressed him. Ron lifted his head up. His eyes were red and he looked pale.

"Ron, are you alright? You don't look well," Harry then placed his hand on Ron's cheek.

"_His hand so warm…"_ Ron enjoyed his touch and he hesitated. After a few seconds, Ron forced himself to smile. "I-It's alright…I'm just tired from studying and I didn't have enough sleep last night. I'm just weary that's all…" Ron released his bond from himself and stood up. "Uh so, where have u been?" Ron said quickly, trying to change the subject.

"Today wasn't my day. For some reason I fainted and fell off my broom during quidditch practice. Don't worry, I'm not hurt, just some bruises. Madam Pomfrey rubbed some kind of stinky shit on me to heal them." Ron sniffed and pinched his nose. "Oh god, you smell like Draco's cologne!" Ron laughed. Harry rolled his eyes. "Well, I'm going to go take a shower." Harry stood up and walked up the stairs.

When Harry was gone, Ron's smile faded. The look of misery came back and he sat back down onto the couch. He sighed and covered his face with his hands.

"_How long can I keep this façade up?"_

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__**More of Author's Note: **This chapter is kind of interesting. Chapter 1 was more of foreshadowing while this chapter is the exposition. As you can see, it shows Ron's feelings and what has been happening. Oh yea, I sort of brought back Fred and George to Hogwarts. I love those twins! Well anyways, please leave comments or reviews! I would appreciate some suggestions and any improvements to the story. Thanks for reading and Chapter 3 will come soon!_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Author's Note:** Yes, I typed up the third chapter. More things are happening in this chapter. So, please read and enjoy! _

_ O yea remember italics are thoughts, non-italics are convo...yadda yadda...you know the drill. _

_ **Disclaimer:** Harry Potter is copyrighted by J.K. Rowling. boo hooo..._

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Chapter Three**

A week had passed since Harry's accident. The weather was getting cooler and autumn was settling in. Things were relatively quiet in Hogwarts. The Order of Phoenix had been laying low. So far, there were no signs of trouble from Voldemort…or so it seemed?

"I want breakfast…"whimpered Tonks.

"Shut the fuck up will you? I'm trying to figure out where that shop is…" Remus was looking around.

They were in the streets of London and on a difficult mission. It was foggy and only a few people were walking around. For months, the Order of Phoenix had been on Voldemort's tail, trying to predict what his next move will be. They had been spying on his Death Eaters and gathering clues to what his plans were. The evidence that they had gathered were shocking and Dumbledore decided to take action.

"Oh god, why couldn't they send Mad-Eye Moody to go with you? First of all, he's better at this job than me and I could be sleeping right now!" Tonks crossed her arms and let out a big sigh.

"Quit complaining will you! Now help me look for the fucking shop-" Remus suddenly saw what he was looking for. He crossed the street and Tonks quickly followed behind. It was a bedraggled shop and the sign read '_Conran_.'

"Holy crap, you call this a shop! Ew look at those cobwebs on the window…" said Tonks.

"Oh for Christ's sake…" Remus grabbed Tonks' sleeve and dragged her through the door.

Inside the shop, things looked surprisingly elegant. There were red linoleum tiles on the floor and a couple of chandeliers on the ceiling. Glass cases filled with antiques lined up in rows. Portraits, swords, medieval banners, and tapestries were hung along the walls. However, the shop smelled musty.

Remus and Tonks walked through the rows of antiques. Tonks marveled at the artifacts. Many of them were medieval goblets, knives, and armors. When they reached the end of the shop, they saw an old lady sitting behind a counter. Her head was down and busy reading the _Daily Prophet_.

"Well hello Ms. Darrie, how is it living with Muggles?" Remus said. She looked up and was surprised to see him.

"Ahh…well isn't it Remus Lupin…" a sly grin appeared on her face. The woman had wrinkles under her eyes and frizzy grey hair. She wore a burgundy jacket and an emerald necklace.

Remus stepped closer to the counter. He pulled out an envelope and on it was Dumbledore's seal. He placed it in front of her.

"We need the map," said Remus. Darrie picked up the envelope and opened it. Inside was a small piece of paper. It was a letter from Dumbledore:

_Dear Ms. Darrie,_

_We are in a dire need of the Infortunatus_ _Map. I think we have already discussed the reason and the importance of us needing it over our short meeting. Please hand it over to Remus. I am sure you can trust him with it. I hope the copy you have will greatly aid us._

_Thank you,  
Albus Dumbledore_

"Well, I guess Dumbledore finally needs me now eh?" she gave a big grin and walked over to the back door of the store. She disappeared into the room and came out with a small box with a red string tied around it. She handed it over to Remus.

"Please be careful with it. The Infortunatus Map has been a kept secret in my family. There are only two copies of the map in the world. If it goes into the wrong hands, they will be able to find it."

Tonks walked over to where they were. "Wait, find what?"

"The Vial of Devil's Ichor," replied Remus, "It is a powerful substance just like the Sorcerer's Stone. It grants immortality and it can increase your magical abilities by tenfold."

Remus untied the string and opened the box. Instead of finding a piece of paper, there were small round rocks with awkward symbols on them.

"What the…wait a minute…isn't a map suppose to be a piece of paper with drawings and lines on them! I mean how will this help!" yelled Tonks. She picked up one of the rocks and examined them.

"Finding the vial isn't the hard part, it's putting the map together and THEN figuring it out what the map is saying, that's the worst," said Darrie.

"Oi…" sighed Tonks.

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Hermione was sitting in the library with a book in front of her. The bookworm seemed to be engrossed in the story and didn't notice Ron coming up to her. 

"Herm, when will you ever stop reading?" Ron sat next to her and peeked over her shoulder. She looked up and gave him a death glare. "Well at least I get better grades than what you have!"

Ron smiled. "Man, I always love teasing you."

Hermione putted down her book and turned her attention to him. "So, how have you've been with…you know…"

He felt a cold sensation at the pit of his stomach. "I'm over him. I have moved on," Ron said stolidly.

Hermione glared at him and rolled her eyes. "Bullshit! You are clearly not! It has been months now and you never had been able to let it go. Also, you know that you can't lie even if your life depends on it."

Ron slumped down onto his chair and rubbed his face. "I know. I know. I was being sarcastic! Geez…"

Hermione rubbed his arm gently. "Look, I know it's not easy. Right now, Harry's life isn't all jolly and wonderful. He needs time for himself. Someday, maybe your friendship with him will grow into something more…"

Ron gave a bitter laugh. "Yea…whatever…"

Hermione lifted his chin up. "Or, you will get over it someday and move on."

Ron's expression turned gloomy. "I'm not angry at him for being distant. I was never angry towards him. I'm angry at myself. I'm angry that I can't …I can't help him…I mean I can't make him be happy, I can't solve his problems, I can't even give him what he wants!" His expression turned into anger and he clenched his fists.

"I think I have been selfish. You know maybe I don't really love him…maybe I just wanted to be the center of his attention…maybe-"

Hermione cut him off, "Look what about the time that we spent hours planning a party for his birthday…and what about the times that you cut class just to be with him? Also, what about the times that you had been there for him and talking with him?"

Ron snorted. "You want the truth? It wasn't _us_. It was _you_ who did everything. _You_ baked the cake, _you_ planned everything ahead already, _you_ were the one that Harry favors, you…" Ron paused. "Oh my god…I-I'm sorry…I …I have been jealous of you…" Realization hits him and he sunk lower onto his chair.

Hermione gave a sad smile. "It's okay…Jealousy is normal. I'm sorry…I didn't know you felt that way…"

Ron combed his hair with his hand. "It's not your fault, I just …wow …"

Hermione leaned over and hugged him. "You are special to Harry. You guys are still best buddies."

Ron rested his head on her shoulders. "But it's not like I did anything special for him. Every time I tried to do something for him…it's never enough or I just drop it. He doesn't need me that much anyways. He has you and other friends to talk about his problems. I'm glad though. At least he's not lonely." Ron took a deep breath. "Wow, I am selfish. I just wanted Harry to myself. I'm a selfish bastard…"

Hermione took his hand. "You are not selfish, Ron. You really care about Harry. I know you only want the best for him." She rubs his hand and they both became quiet.

Harry suddenly walked up behind them. "Well, well, isn't it the two love birds…" Harry gave a smirk.

Hermione let go of Ron's hand and threw a paper ball at him playfully. "Harry!"

Harry smiled. He then looked at the book Hermione was reading. "What's this…" He grabbed it and looked at the title. It read '_Greek Mythology_.' "I didn't know we have to learn this crap."

"First of all, it's not crap. I was reading it because I enjoy Greek myths. The Ancient Greeks were really good at writing romantic stories too," said Hermione.

Harry flipped through the pages. As he flipped through, a word caught his eye. He quickly turned back to the page where he saw it. "Laconian Taenarum…" The word sounded familiar.

"Laconian Taenarum? Oh yea, you mean the Taenarum of Laconia? Well, the Taenarum was a passage to the Underworld, which is where the dead resides. Only the Gods or heroes can go through it. The passage was usually a chasm or a cave. There was a story about a hero named Orpheus whose wife died from a serpent's bite. He couldn't live without her and he risked his life to get her back from the Underworld. Isn't that sweet!" said Hermione.

Ron blankly starred at her, wondering why on earth she would spend time reading these stories. "Uh…yea…sweet…"

Harry's thoughts were on other things. _"A cave…I remember something with a cave…I think I was there for some reason…"_ Harry started to remember bits and pieces of his vision. _"Stairs…water…a boat…"_

"Wait, who was Charon?" Harry asked.

"Well he was the boatman. He only ferries the dead people across the river to the Underworld." Hermione replied.

"Wait then how was Orpheus able to cross the river if he wasn't dead yet?" Ron suddenly asked.

Hermione thought for a while. "Hm…oh yea, Orpheus was a musician and his music were supposedly powerful. He sang a beautiful song to Charon, which moved him. He then gave in and gave him ride across." She looked at the clock on the wall. "Oh my, I need to go to Professor McGonagall…I need to speak with her about my change of schedule…I refuse to take two classes of Herbology!" She grabbed the book from Harry and waved good bye to the boys as she walked out of the library.

"Well, I better be going, too. I'm really famished right now." Harry lightly punched Ron in the arm. "I'll see you at our dorm alright?" Harry walked out of the library.

Ron continued sitting in the library alone. "Yeah see you there…"


End file.
